William beckett



(No Model.)

W. B-BCKET'T. FOLDING LADDER FOR FIRE ESGAPES, &c.

No. 591,944. I Patented Oct. 19,1897.

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NITED STATES \VILLIAM BECKETT, OF

- PATENT OFFICE.

SHEFFIELD, ENGLAND.

FOLDING LADDER FOR FlRE-ESCAPES, 80C.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent Rio/591,944, dated October 19, 1897.

Application filedIebruary 27,1897. Serial No. 625,306. (No model.) Patented in EnglandMay 21, 1896, No. 10,939.

To aZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that 1,. WILLIAM BECKETT, a subject of the Queen of Great Britain, and a resident of the city of Sheffield, county of York, England, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Folding Ladders Suitable for Fire-Escapes and other Purposes, (for which I have obtained a patent in Great Britain, No. 10,939, dated May 2 1, 1896;) and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, which form a part of this specification.

Hy invention relates to the construction of a flexible metallic ladder, suitable for many purposes, and particularly for use as a fireescape.

I have shown the construction of my improved ladder in the annexed sheet of drawings, in which Figure 1 represents a few links of the ladder; Fig. 2, a side view of one of the links, and Fig. 3 an axial stud or link-pin.

In carrying out my invention I construct the ladder of any required number of side links 13 and 0. Those marked B, I call the inside links, and those marked 0 the outside links.

The links 13 and O are made tubular and preferably of steel, so as to combine strength with lightness. The rungs A are also made of tubular steel for the same reason.

All-the side links are flattened at each end, such fiat portion being carried a little beyond the line of the tubular body of the link on one side, as shown in the drawings, and they are arranged in pairs, alternately turned inward and outward, so that the inside links B will fold inside the outer links 0 when it is desired to roll up the ladder to stow it away.

The rungs A, which are all of one length, are secured to the links by means of a stud or link-pin D. (Shown in Fig. 3.) The pin is provided with a head and with a pin-hole, as shown. It passes through the flattened ends of the side links andinto the end of the rung, being finally secured by a small crosspin E.

' When a ladder so constructed is intended for a fire-escape, I propose to secure one end of it to a bracket or other support placed under the window inside the room in such a way that it can be coiled up and inclosed in a small ottoman, box, or window-seat, so that it shall always be ready at a moments notice to bethrown out of the window in case of alarm.

I am aware that folding metallic ladders have been constructed from flat bars, and I therefore do not claim, broadly, a metallic folding ladder with inside and outside side links; but,

Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I claim is A flexible metallic ladder comprising the tubular side links Band 0 having flattened and overlapping ends, the fiat portion of each link being set out beyond the tubular part and the adjoining links being reversed in position, the tubular rungs A, and the pins D passing through the overlapping ends of the WILLIAM BEOKETT.

Witnesses:

RoBr. F. DRURY, B. E. DRURY. 

